State Workforce Data - AR

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Arkansas

Workforce

2013

2000

1990

Civilian Labor Force

Note: 1) Persons are considered to be in the civilian labor force if they were employed or if they were unemployed but actively looking for work. Persons not in the labor force include homemakers, retirees, students who do not work, and others who are neither working outside the home nor looking for work. Civilian labor force excludes members of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines). 2) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 3) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2011-2013 American Community Survey (ACS), and Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming data are from pooled 2009-2013 ACS. Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2013 ACS. 4) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Note: The term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.

Foreign Born

Population (16 and older)

126,181

% in the civilian labor force

69.8%

Civilian labor force (age 16 and older)

88,074

% unemployed of the total civilian labor force

5.1%

Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older)

83,538

% change: 2000-2013

110.3%

% change: 1990-2000

203.0%

Note: The term "U.S. born" refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; people born in U.S. Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or people who were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.

U.S. Born

Population (16 and older)

2,198,987

% in the civilian labor force

57.4%

Civilian labor force (age 16 and older)

1,262,219

% unemployed of the total civilian labor force

8.3%

Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older)

1,158,290

% change: 2000-2011

1.6%

% change: 1990-2000

16.3%

Foreign Born

Population (16 and older)

64,593

% change: 2000-2011

63.8%

Civilian labor force (age 16 and older)

41,235

% change: 1990-2000

3.7%

Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older)

39,719

U.S. Born

Population (16 and older)

2,011,532

% change: 2000-2011

60.4%

Civilian labor force (age 16 and older)

1,215,824

% change: 1990-2000

6.2%

Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older)

1,140,291

Foreign Born

Population (16 and older)

23,055

% change: 2000-2011

59.7%

Civilian labor force (age 16 and older)

13,754

% change: 1990-2000

4.7%

Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older)

13,109

U.S. Born

Population (16 and older)

1,774,010

% change: 2000-2011

59.3%

Civilian labor force (age 16 and older)

1,051,173

% change: 1990-2000

6.7%

Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older)

980,824

Foreign-Born Labor Force by U.S. Citizenship Status

Note: 1) Persons are considered to be in the civilian labor force if they were employed or if they were unemployed but actively looking for work. Persons not in the labor force include homemakers, retirees, students who do not work, and others who are neither working outside the home nor looking for work. Civilian labor force excludes members of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines). 2) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 3) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2011-2013 American Community Survey (ACS), and Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming data are from pooled 2009-2013 ACS. Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2013 ACS. 4) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born

Naturalized Citizens

Population (16 and older)

41,512

% in the civilian labor force

69.6%

Civilian labor force (age 16 and older)

28,892

% unemployed of the total civilian labor force

6.3%

Civilian employed workers (age 16 and older)

27,070

Noncitizens

Population (age 16 and older)

84,669

% in the civilian labor force

69.9%

Civilian labor force (age 16 and older)

59,184

% unemployed of the total civilian labor force

4.6%

Civilian employed workers (age 16 and older)

56,468

U.S. Born

Foreign-Born Workers by Period of Entry and Origin

Foreign Born

Foreign-Born Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) by Period of Entry

Note: The total estimate of foreign-born workers here is somewhat different from other Workforce data due to different ACS data sources.

Note: The total estimate of foreign-born workers here is somewhat different from other Workforce data due to different ACS data sources.

82,998

Born in Africa

2.8%

Born in Asia

19.0%

Born in Europe

6.7%

Born in Latin America (South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean)

68.5%

Born in Northern America (Canada, Bermuda, Greenland, and St. Pierre and Miquelon)

2.5%

Born in Oceania

0.5%

U.S. Born

Occupations

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2011-2013 American Community Survey (ACS), and Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming data are from pooled 2009-2013 ACS. Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2013 ACS. 3) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born

Civilian Workers Age 16 and Older

83,538

% Civilian Workers Employed in

Management, business, science, and arts occupations

22.6%

Service occupations

21.2%

Sales and office occupations

11.3%

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

14.6%

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

30.3%

% Foreign Born by Occupation

All civilian workers

6.7%

Management, business, science, and arts occupations

4.8%

Service occupations

8.3%

Sales and office occupations

3.2%

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

9.4%

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

12.2%

U.S. Born

Civilian Workers Age 16 and Older

1,158,290

% Civilian Workers Employed in

Management, business, science, and arts occupations

32.6%

Service occupations

16.8%

Sales and office occupations

24.8%

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

10.1%

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

15.7%

Industries

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2011-2013 American Community Survey (ACS), and Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming data are from pooled 2009-2013 ACS. Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2013 ACS. 3) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2011-2013 American Community Survey (ACS), and Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming data are from pooled 2009-2013 ACS. Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2013 ACS. 3) The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

Foreign Born

Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) (%)

83,538

Private wage and salary workers

86.2%

Government workers

6.4%

Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business

7.2%

Unpaid family workers

0.2%

U.S. Born

Class of Worker (civilian workers age 16 and older) (%)

1,158,290

Private wage and salary workers

77.2%

Government workers

16.7%

Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business

6.0%

Unpaid family workers

0.1%

Population (age 25 and older)

Labor Force Participation by Language Spoken at Home

Number

Total Population (native and foreign born) Age 25 and older

1,960,503

In labor force

1,148,037

Not in labor force

812,466

Speak only English

1,842,338

In labor force

1,065,638

Not in labor force

776,700

Speak Spanish

81,845

In labor force

58,679

Not in labor force

23,166

Speak other Indo-European languages

14,771

In labor force

8,673

Not in labor force

6,098

Speak Asian and Pacific Island languages

17,148

In labor force

12,097

Not in labor force

5,051

Speak other languages

4,401

In labor force

2,950

Not in labor force

1,451

%

Total Population (native and foreign born) age 25 and older

100%

In labor force

58.6%

Not in labor force

41.4%

Speak only English

100%

In labor force

57.8%

Not in labor force

42.2%

Speak Spanish

100%

In labor force

71.7%

Not in labor force

28.3%

Speak other Indo-European languages

100%

In labor force

58.7%

Not in labor force

41.3%

Speak Asian and Pacific Island languages

100%

In labor force

70.5%

Not in labor force

29.5%

Speak other languages

100%

In labor force

67.0%

Not in labor force

33.0%

Workers' Education and English Proficiency

Note: 1) Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm. 2) The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English "not at all," "not well," or "well" on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English "very well" are considered proficient in English.

Foreign Born

Civilian Employed Workers (age 25 and older)

72,886

Low-educated workers (i.e., those with high school diploma)

30,240

% low educated of all workers

41.5%

High-educated workers (i.e., those with at least a bachelor's degree)

15,505

% high educated of all workers

21.3%

Limited English Proficient (LEP) Workers (age 25 and older)

35,778

% LEP among all workers

49.1%

U.S. Born

Civilian Workers (age 25 and older)

1,003,262

Low-educated workers (i.e., those with high school diploma)

73,357

% low educated of all workers

7.3%

High-educated workers (i.e., those with at least a bachelor's degree)

265,681

% high educated of all workers

26.5%

Limited English Proficient (LEP) Workers (age 25 and older)

2,224

% LEP among all workers

0.2%

Brain Waste

Note: The terms "brain waste" and "skill underutilization" are used interchangeably and describe a phenomenon when college-educated persons are either unemployed or employed in unskilled jobs, i.e., jobs that require only moderate on-the-job training or less, such as construction laborers, taxi drivers, file clerks, or nannies.

Number underutilized (i.e., unemployed or employed in low-skilled jobs)

46,649

% of all civilian, college-educated workers, age 25+

16.6%

Sources:Migration Policy Institute tabulations of the U.S. Bureau of the Census’ American Community Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census. Unless stated otherwise, 2013 data are from the one-year ACS file. For information about ACS definitions, methodology, sampling error, and nonsampling error, click here. Estimates from the 1990 and 2000 Decennial Census data as well as ACS microdata are from Steven Ruggles, Matthew Sobek, Trent Alexander, Catherine A. Fitch, Ronald Goeken, Patricia Kelly Hall, Miriam King, and Chad Ronnander, "Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 4.0" (Machine-readable database, Minnesota Population Center [producer and distributor], 2011).

Definitions

The term "foreign born" refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the population survey who were not U.S. citizens at birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized U.S. citizens, lawful permanent immigrants (or green-card holders), refugees and asylees, certain legal nonimmigrants (including those on student, work, or some other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.

The term "U.S. born" refers to people residing in the United States who were U.S. citizens in one of three categories: people born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; people born in U.S. Insular Areas such as Puerto Rico or Guam; or people who were born abroad to at least one U.S. citizen parent.

Persons are considered to be in the civilian labor force if they were employed or if they were unemployed but actively looking for work. Persons not in the labor force include homemakers, retirees, students who do not work, and others who are neither working outside the home nor looking for work. Civilian labor force excludes members of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Marines). Civilian employed population includes anyone who reported performing full or part-time work during a reference week, being temporarily absent from a job, or performing unpaid work for a family business or farm.

The term limited English proficient (LEP) refers to any person age 5 and older who reported speaking English “not at all,” “not well,” or “well” on their survey questionnaire. Persons who speak only English or who report speaking English “very well” are considered proficient in English.

The terms "brain waste" and "skill underutilization" are used interchangeably and describe a phenomenon when college-educated persons are either unemployed or employed in unskilled jobs, i.e., jobs that require only moderate on-the-job training or less, such as construction laborers, taxi drivers, file clerks, or nannies.

Data-related notes

The letter N Indicates that a number could not be provided by the Census Bureau because the number of sample cases was too small for this state.

For “Civilian Labor Force,” “Foreign-Born Labor Force by U.S. Citizenship Status,” “Occupations,” “Industries,” and “Class of Worker,”: Data for Alaska, Maine, Mississippi, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia are from the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2011-2013 American Community Survey (ACS), and Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming data are from pooled 2009-2013 ACS. Data for the United States overall and for the remaining states are from the 2013 ACS.

For “Foreign-Born Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) by Period of Entry,” “Foreign-Born Civilian Employed Workers (age 16 and older) by Region of Birth,” and “Workers' Education and English Proficiency (age 25 and older)”: The total estimate of foreign-born workers here is somewhat different from other Workforce data due to different ACS data sources. These three indicators are based on Migration Policy Institute analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2013 ACS data.

Brain waste estimates are based on Migration Policy Institute analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's pooled 2011-2013 ACS data.